Haley Beaman, 24, purchased a 1,200-square-foot fixer upper in Windsor Park for $180,000. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms (converted from one and a half).
“It’s such a dream having a space thats 100 percent configured to your likes,” she said. “Every single thing makes me happy — even my drawer pulls make me happy.”
Welcome to Haley’s crib!
Here’s what it looked like before:
Before photos courtesy of Haley Beaman
The biggest projects included adding a 100-square-foot laundry room, taking out a wall, painting the exterior, turning her half bath into a full, re-sanding the floors, tile work and overhauling the kitchen.
Haley did a lot of the demolition work on her own, but paid a contractor to help with some of the larger undertakings, like adding a support beam where a wall used to be in the living and kitchen areas.
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The kitchen and dining room are Haley’s favorite areas in the house, and the largest portion of her renovation budget was spent on the kitchen, which ended up being around $10,000.
Here’s where that money went:
- Ikea cabinets $2,700
- Amazon hardware/pulls $50
- The Granite House LLC countertops $3,000
- Lowe’s stainless steel appliances (fridge, dishwasher, gas range, range hood) $2,150
- Backsplash $200
- New floors in kitchen and breakfast rooms (done by Scott’s Sanding Service) $1700
She saved money by comparing prices, splurging for things she loved most (lighting and countertops) and having family install the cabinets instead of a contractor.
Haley also saved money on furniture and decor by shopping at flea markets and getting things recovered and repainted to fit her traditional-meets-glam style.
If you’re thinking of taking on a similar project, Haley says be prepared to negotiate, confront your contractors and budget around $15,000-$30,000 for upgrades.
She said she was nervous to put in an offer below asking price — since houses were literally swiped from under her feet — but she says negotiating ended up saving her thousands of dollars. The house was listed at $200,000, but she scored it for $180,000.
“Being a single lady was not the best experience,” she said of hiring contractors. “I felt like I had to push them harder than when my dad was in town. When I was here alone they did things wrong thinking I wouldn’t know.”
